Posts under ‘Family and Friends’

So, in November the kids celebrated 七五三（しちごさん）shichi – go -san, which literally means 7 – 5- 3. In Japanese tradition, these are the ages boys and girls could wear a kimono for the first time and would mark a special time for them. So on a day in November boys ages 5 and girls ages 3 […]

There is a Japanese national holiday on the second Monday of October known as Health and Sports Day, a day to promote health and physical and mental well-being. Many schools, including ours, hold a sports day during this time, which is like a mini-Olympics with games and some little choreographed performances by each grade. […]

The trio are all mothers now. We’ve been friends since the 4th grade and have gone through a lot together. We all live far away from each other but we finally had a little reunion in NYC. Hopefully we can do it more often. It was their first meeting but it didn’t take long for […]

The Popover Cafe, New York City I miss brunch. I can eat Eggs Benedict, waffles with sausage, or a stack of pancakes at any time of the day. But I do love a hearty breakfast served at noon. On our last weekend in NYC, my family took the kids and I to a yummy Sunday […]

Last month the kids and I had the chance to visit my home state and stay at an amazing beach-front house on Long Island, which is just about an hour east of Manhattan. It was like being in a peaceful oasis so close to the city. Too bad it was winter in New York at […]

The end of last year went by like a whirlwind. My folks were in town and Keiji and Arisa always enjoy quality time with their grandparents. Soon after they left we had to prepare for our trip and deal with boring things like getting my re-entry permit at Immigration office. It’s really only now that […]

Shichi go san, are the numbers seven, five and three in Japanese. Shichi-go-san is also the celebration for boys who are 5 years old and girls are 3 and 7 years old. After doing a little research I found that the tradition started around the Heian period (794-1185). The nobles considered these ages a very […]